Saturday, May 27, 2017

Twin Lunar Regolith Habitats (LRH) on the sintered surface of a lunar outpost. Surrounding walls are composed of aluminum panels that are automatically deployed while remaining attached to the side of the pressurized habitat with each panel joined together by a surrounding envelope of kevlar). The regolith wall is filled to the brim with lunar regolith, protecting astronauts from heavy ions, micrometeorites, and extreme thermal fluctuations, while reducing radiation exposure below 5 Rem per year. Twin habitats are connected to each other by a pressurized inflatable tunnel.

by Marcel F. WilliamsPart II: The Moon

If NASA is provided with $3 billion in annual additional funding from the DOD, as proposed in Part I of this article, then full funding for NASA's cis-lunar architecture can begin in 2019. About $1.5 billion annually could be used for the development of unmanned and crewed single staged extraterrestrial landing vehicles derived from Boeing's 2.4 meter in diameter super light weight cryotank technology. Most of the remaining $1.5 billion in annual additional funding could be used for the conversion of the SLS EUS into a solar powered propellant producing water depots and into spacious deep space habitats and into regolith shielded lunar habitats.

Additional human spaceflight related funding for NASA will come from charging guest astronauts from foreign space agencies $150 million for every foreign astronauts participating in a beyond LEO mission for NASA. Since NASA's MPCV can carry up to six astronauts and private commercial companies will be capable of transporting up to seven individuals into orbit, NASA could easily accommodate up to three foreign astronauts per beyond LEO mission, saving NASA up to $450 million per flight.

Substantially more funding for NASA will be available once funds currently dedicated for Commercial Crew-- development-- are ended in the early 2020s and the ISS program is, finally, ended in the late 2020s.

The following notional SLS and private commercial launch sequences present a scenario for establishing a permanent American presence within cis-lunar space and on the surface of the Moon by the mid 2020s while also establishing water mining and propellant producing architecture on the lunar surface and a propellant producing water storage systems at LEO and EML1. During the 2020s, under this scenario, SLS flights will be limited to two launches per year once new RS-25 engines are in production.

BA-330: Bigelow Aerospace inflatable habitat that will be inherently designed to protect astronauts from heavy ion radiation.

CLV-7B:
Notional cargo landing vehicle that uses seven Boeing 2.4 meter super light weight cryotanks. With a water bag attached to the top of the vehicle, at least 35 tonnes
of water can be delivered to EML1 from the lunar surface. CLV-7B should be capable of being reused at least ten times.

CST-100 (Starliner): Boeing Aerospace commercial crew capsule. Combined with an ACES-68 and a Cygnus module, the Starliner could be utilized as a reusable orbital transfer vehicle within cis-lunar space.

ETLV-4: Notional
reusable crew landing vehicle and orbital transfer vehicle utilizing
Boeing's 2.4 meter cyrotank technology and the ULA's IVF technology. Five tonnes of water shielding provides a section of the crew area with protection from from heavy ions. Unmanned version (R-ETLV-4) could be used to deploy small robotic vehicles or cargo to the lunar surface.

EUS: The
exploration upper stage would enable the SLS to deploy up to 105
tonnes of payload to LEO or at least 30 tonnes of payload to the
Earth-Moon Lagrange points or low lunar orbit.

Credit NASA

LRH:
Notional CLV-7B deployed Lunar Regolith Habitat derived from SLS
hydrogen tank technology that automatically deploys a surrounding
regolith wall (eight aluminum panels hinged to the side of the
pressurized habitat and joined together by an enveloping kevlar sheet )
filled with lunar regolith 2 meters thick, reducing radiation exposure
withing the pressurized habitat to less than 5 Rem per year even during
solar minimum conditions

MPCV (Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle): Would
enable the SLS to be used to deploy astronauts practically anywhere
within cis-lunar space and return them safely to the Earth's surface. A radiation shielded Cygnus habitat module would be required to adequately shield astronauts from the deleterious effects of heavy ion radiation.

Credit Boeing Aerospace

MWT (Mobile Water Tanker): Derived from a single 2.4 meter cryotanks for fueling reusable landing craft with liquid oxygen.

OTV-125: Notional
reusable EUS derived orbital transfer vehicle utilizing ULA IVF (Integrated Vehicle Fluids) technology
would be capable of transferring spacecraft and other payloads up to 90
tonnes in mass from LEO to other regions of cis-lunar space

After NASA

SLS: Space Launch System would be capable of deploying 70 to 105 tonnes to LEO or more than 30 tonnes of payload to the Earth-Moon Lagrange points

Credit NASA

Water Bug: Notional mobile robotic vehicle that utilizes microwaves to extract water from the lunar regolith at the lunar poles.

WPD-LV-7A: Notional propellant producing water depot derived from seven 2.4 meter cryotanks capable of self deploying itself to the lunar surface after SLS launch into orbit. The WPD-LV-7A would be capable of
storing up to 70 tonnes of LOX/LH2 propellant and up to 150 tonnes of
water.

WPD-OTV-125: Notional
reusable propellant (LOX/LH2) producing water depot derived from the
EUS and utilizing IVF technology capable of storing up to 125 tonnes of
LOX/LH2 propellant and up to 200 tonnes of water.

WPD-OTV-125@EML1

Notional launch sequences utilized to progressively establish a permanent American presence on the surface of the Moon:

2017

First Space X launch of the Falcon Heavy(up to 54 tonnes to LEO)

2018

First commercial crew launch of the Atlas V/Centaur/CST-100 (Starliner) by the ULA

First commercial crew launch of the Falcon 9/Dragon by Space X

1. This will be the beginning of private commercial crew launches to LEO and the return of crew launches into space from American soil and

1. This will be the beginning of the deployment of private commercial pressurized habitats to LEO by private commercial spacecraft

2021

SLS Launch 2: NASA SLS/EUS deployment of BA-330 to EML1

SLS Launch 3: First SLS/EUS launch of a crew aboard the Cygnus/Orion MPCV to EML1

Commercial Launch: Satellite lunar navigation system for NASA and DOD are deployed by commercial launch vehicles to EML1 and EML2 (two lunar
navigation satellites to EML1 and two lunar navigation satellites to
EML2)

1. The beginning of two NASA SLS launches per year.

2. Since the SLS is likely to be assembled and operated by a private company, NASA should give that company the option of being able to utilize an SLS vehicle for at least one private commercial launch per year. Such commercial launches could include the deployment of private commercial microgravity or artificial gravity habitats to LEO or the deployments of habitats to the lunar surface.

3. The first test launch of the EUS for an unmanned mission should enhance the safety of the first crew launch later in the year 4. Since the BA-330 will have more than 40 cm of shielding, that should be more than enough to effectively protect astronauts beyond the magnetosphere from the deleterious effects of heavy ions and radiation from major solar events.

5. Lunar navigation satellites will enable NASA and the DOD to deploy payloads to the lunar poles and to communicate with astronauts on the lunar surface at the lunar poles.

1.
Beginning of water deposition to depots @ LEO and EML1 by private
commercial launch companies for NASA (over 100 tonnes of water delivered
to EML1 per year; over 200 tonnes of water delivered to LEO per year)

2. After producing its own propellant at LEO, the WPD-OTV-125 depots will transport itself and its detachable solar array to EML1

3. An
ETLV-4 vehicles will be tested unmanned, traveling from LEO and EML1
where it will refuel to return to LEO

4. A second unmanned ETLV-4 will also travel from LEO to EML1 but will return with astronauts aboard who initially traveled to EML1 aboard the MPCV .

5. MPCV will remain docked at the BA-330 @ EML1 as an emergency escape vessel

2.
The two unmanned R-ETLV-4 vehicles will make their first landings at the
lunar poles (one to the north lunar pole and the second to the south
lunar pole). They will both return to EML1 with regolith samples from
both lunar poles less than two weeks after landing. Crewed ETLV-4 vehicles will transport the regolith
samples back to LEO and Commercial Crew vehicles will return the crew and lunar samples back to Earth.

3. OTV-125 will be used to transport heavy SLS payloads (up to 90 tonnes) from LEO to other regions of cis-lunar space.

4. 51 years after the last crewed American lunar landings, American and foreign astronauts will use two ETLV-4 vehicles to conduct the
first crewed mission to the lunar surface, . One ETLV-4 will transport the
other ETLV-4 to low lunar orbit from EML1 and then back to EML1 after the other ETLV-4 returns the crew from the lunar surface. A third ETLV-4 will transport the astronauts back to LEO where Commercial Crew vehicles will transport them back to the Earth's surface.

Two reusable ETLV-4 vehicles would be required for crewed sorties to the lunar surface from EML1 and back. But once propellant is being manufactured on the lunar surface, only one ETLV-4 vehicle will be required for missions to the moon and back to EML1.

2024

SLS Launch 8: Deployment of two CLV-7B to LEO and then transported to EML1 by reusable OTV-125: Fueled
at the EML1 depot, the first CLV-7B will have an ATHLETE robot that
will deploy electric powered excavation vehicles, sintering vehicles, , backhoe,
lifting crane,
to the south lunar pole. The second EML1 refueled CLV-7B will be used to deploy four mobile solar arrays with more than one MWe of total electric power capacity to the South lunar pole.

SLS Launch 9: A single CLV-7B to orbit plus a second
OTV-125 orbital transfer vehicle plus a single CLV-7B carrying a Lunar Regolith Habitat (LRH) will be deployed to LEO. The OTV-125 will transport the CLV-7B and the LRH to EML1. Fueled at EML1, the CLV-7B to deploy a LRH to the already sintered landing area at the lunar outpost at the South lunar pole.

Commercial Launch 1: BA-330 launched to LEO for DOD by commercial launch vehicle and then transferred to EML1 by OTV-125

1. Teleoperated mobile microwave robots will sinter areas for landing spacecraft, deploying solar
arrays, and for habitat modules, and for propellant depots will be
created 2. Electric powered backhoes will deposit lunar regolith withing the
automatically deployed regolith wall surrounding the pressurized habitat
providing astronauts with radiation exposure levels less than 5 Rem per
year during solar minimum conditions and protection against micrometeorites and radiation from major solar
events. 4. First NASA and DOD astronauts transferred between LEO and EML1 by private commercial ACES-68/CST-100/Cygnus. The use of reusable private commercial orbital transfer vehiclees will allow NASA to use its reusable ETLV-4 vehicles exclusively for crew missions to the lunar surface from EML1. 5. Reusable teleoperated ACES-68 space vehicles could also refuel at NASA LEO depots in order to deploy satellites to GPS, geosynchronous, and polar orbits. An Delta IV heavy, for instance can only deploy a satellite weighing up 6.7 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit; but it could place four such satellites into low Earth orbit which could later be transferred to GEO by the ACES-68. 5. Reusable teleoperated ACES-68 vehicles could also be used to
transfer duplicated military satellites to EML4 where the could be
safely stored away and monitored and redeployed if a similar satellite
is damaged.

2025

SLS Launch 10: Deployment of two Deep Space Habitat (DSH) to EML1 for OTV-125 deployment to EML1(NASA) and EML4 (DOD)

SLS Launch 11: A
second SLS launch will deploy a single CLV-7B to orbit plus a second
OTV-125 orbital transfer vehicle. Transported by the OTV-125 to EML1,
the fueled CLV-7B to deploy a LRH (Lunar Regolith Hab to the lunar
surface.

Commercial Launch:BA-330 launched to LEO for DOD by commercial launch vehicle and then transferred to EML4 by OTV-125

1. The DSH will allow NASA to test the integrity of SLS EUS derived pressurized habitats

2. DOD operations at EML4 aboard the BA-330 and DSH will involve the repair and refueling of
zombie satellites for later redeployment and the monitoring and
testing of back up satellites located at EML4. If a strategically
valuable satellite is destroyed or disabled, back up satellites located
at EML4 will be deployed.

2026

SLS Launch 12: SLS
deployment of two WPD-LV-7A to LEO. Vehicles refuel at LEO and self
deploy themselves to EML1 and then self deploy themselves to the lunar
outpost. Alternatively, both vehicles could be transported to EML1 by an OTV-125 before being fueled for lunar deployment.

SLS Launch 13: SLS
deploys two CLV-7B to LEO. OTV-125 transports the vehicles to EML1 where
they will refuel. One CLV-7B will be carrying a mobile hydrogen tanker
(MHT) derived from the 2.4 meter cryotank technology plus four Water Bug water extraction robots
the second CLV-7B will carry two mobile water tankers (MWT), two mobile LOX tankers (MLT)

1. The teleoperated Water Bugs will use microwaves to extract and store up to a tonne of water from the lunar regolith at the lunar poles. Teleoperated MWT will be used to extract the water from the Water Bugs and then deposit the water into the WPD-LV-7A propellant producing depots.

2. Teleoperated MHT and MLT units will extract the liquid hydrogen and oxygen from the WPD-LA-7A depots in order to refuel the reusable ETLV-4, R-ETLV-4, and CLV-7B vehicles.

3. Teleoperated MWT will be used to extract the water stored at the WPD-LV-7A in order to fill up water bags tied securely on top of the reusable CLV-7B vehicles in order to transport lunar water to the propellant producing water depots located at EML1.

So, before the end of 2026, under this scenario, thanks to the additional DOD funding ($3 billion annually), NASA will have one BA-330 habitat at LEO and one at EML1. The DOD will also have one BA-330 at LEO, one at EML1, and one at EML4. NASA will also have a DSH at EML1 while the DOD will have a DSH at EML4. And NASA will also have two habitat modules (LRH) at the south lunar pole, the beginning of America's permanent human presence on the surface of the Moon!

So
under this scenario, before the end of 2026, the DOD will have
periodically occupied microgravity outpost at LEO and EML1 while NASA
will have a water storage and propellant producing outpost at EML1 and a
water producing, storage, and propellant producing outpost at one of
the lunar poles. Such a water and propellant producing extraterrestrial
infrastructure should make it relatively easy for NASA to quickly and
sustainably expand America's realm to the orbit of Mars, to the moons of
Mars, and to the surface of Mars-- using much of the infrastructure
developed for cis-lunar space and the surface of the Moon.

The conclusion of this article (Part III: Artificial Gravity and Mars) will be posted next week.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Two SLS launch vehicles with 10 meter payload fairings. The vehicle to the left will be able to deploy at least 70 tonnes of payload to LEO. The vehicle to the right with its EUS upper stage will be able to deploy up to 105 tonnes to orbit (Credit NASA).

by Marcel F. Williams

Part 1: NASA & the DOD

Establishing a permanent human presence on the surface of the Moon is the most expedient and economical way to eventually establish a similar permanent human presence on the surface of Mars. But as long as NASA continues to spend $3 to $4 billion a year on its big LEO program (the ISS), it is doubtful that the American space agency can adequately fund its beyond LEO efforts-- without a significant increase in its annual human spaceflight related budget.

So under this scenario, the ISS program is continued. But starting in 2019, an additional $3 billion is added to NASA's human spaceflight related budget by the DOD (Department of Defense). In exchange, NASA will be committed towards eventually deploying microgravity and artificial gravity habitats, and lunar and martian surface outpost for the exclusive use and occupation by DOD personal. And such habitats will be derived from similar habitats used my NASA or the private space industries.

Under this scenario, DOD funding would also require NASA to provide military astronauts with access to LEO through private commercial spacecraft and to its beyond LEO habitats either through NASA or private spacecraft.

So for less than 0.6% ($3 billion) of the annual DOD budget, the ISS program and NASA's beyond LEO program could both be adequately funded while also enabling DOD personal to have a permanent strategic presence within cis-lunar space and eventually on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.

Private American
commercial space companies and their astronauts and paying customers will soon be joining NASA and foreign space agency personal in the New Frontier. So it will be important for US companies to
know that their investments, hired personal, and their paying customers will be protected from possible intimidation and coercion from foreign governments and other hostile organizations.

The DODs role in space would, therefore, be
similar to the role that the US Coast Guard has in America's territorial
waters on
Earth. And this should prevent private companies from having to spend money developing their own private space defense forces in order to protect their property and personal in space from the potential hostile interest from potentially hostile strategic competitors such as China and Russia.

Positions of the Earth-Moon Lagrange Points (Credit: Maccone)

A DOD Earth-Moon Lagrange point presence at EML3, EML4, and EML5 would allow the US military to deposit, protect, and to quickly deploy backup satellites in case US satellites of strategic importance are seriously damaged by terrorist or a hostile foreign power.

DOD habitats could also be a place for emergency refuge and medical treatment for DOD and NASA astronauts, personal and customers from private space agencies, and for personal from foreign space agencies. So the first extraterrestrial sickbays and hospitals in the New Frontier might be operated by the DOD. So military physicians and nurses might be an important part of the military personal deployed to all extraterrestrial habitats under the control of the DOD.

In
2018, Russia intends to charge NASA $81 million for each NASA
astronaut transported too and from the ISS aboard Russian launch
vehicles and spacecraft. Additional funding for NASA's beyond LEO efforts could also come from charging foreign space agencies $150 million for each foreign astronaut participating in a NASA beyond LEO mission. This could save NASA at least $150 million or more, depending on how many foreign astronauts are allowed to participate in a beyond LEO mission. NASA could also allow foreign astronauts participating in a mission to the Moon or Mars to eventually return to the Earth with up to 10 kilograms of material retrieved from the lunar or martian surface for their own space agency's (an absolute bargain) that also helps to reduce NASA's recurring cost for human missions.

"The knowledge that we have now is but a fraction of the knowledge we must get, whether for peaceful use or for national defense. We must depend on intensive research to acquire the further knowledge we need ... These are truths that every scientist knows. They are truths that the American people need to understand." (Harry S. Truman 1948).